What is your nickname?
Neilo, Neilsy and I also answer to “Oi, you!”
Why did you get into printing?
My uncle was a compositor and I used to go and see him at work and was fascinated by what he did
What would be your dream job?
Apart from what I do now you mean! I wouldn’t mind a bit of car valeting or detailing as they call it now. There is something about the before and after that appeals. Failing this a pilot, but only a big plane flying to the Caribbean
Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Well, George Clooney of course, we have the salt ‘n pepper hair in common. And not Arthur Mullard as suggested by a few people in the office. Yus my dear!
What is your dream bit of kit?
Anything mahoosive. A big 96pp web really floats my boat. I love any machine with a ladder!
What would you most like to print?
Anything with a large volume and BIG pagination
What is your favourite film?
Cemetery Junction. A Ricky Gervais coming of age movie the plot of which is something I wish I had done in my early years. The recent Joker film with Joaquin Phoenix comes a close second with Notting Hill just behind
Sweet or savoury?
Can I have both? I do love a cream cake though
Have you taken up any new hobbies/completed any interesting projects during the various lockdowns?
No new hobbies, luckily work kept me busy throughout the lockdowns. I did paint the garden fence though… twice, just because I could
Who or what do you hate the most?
I’m pretty laid back, so pushy people full of self-importance can annoy me. It’s something I’m learning to deal with. Not sure why but I’m not keen on Annie Lennox the famous ‘80s chanteuse, stick Will Smith (too loud) on the end of the list for good measure please. Being late as well is another bug bear. I’ll steer clear of political figures for now.
Who do you admire most in the industry?
The workers on the factory floor who get the job done
What is your favourite phrase or saying?
‘A cup of tea is too wet without a biscuit’, is one, and I tend to shout out in the office ‘you can’t do enough for a good boss’. Then ‘it’s sir to you’ or ‘I’m a busy young executive’ and not forgetting ‘life is for living’ as the sensible option.
What is your favourite book?
I do like to thumb through a good Jamie Oliver cookbook
What is your greatest luxury in life?
Being with my daughter, holidays, and bistro pubs
What is the strangest job you’ve ever done?
Making a Santa Grotto in a cupboard at work when I was an apprentice, they used to give us all of December off create our spectacular masterpieces. The only rule was we could only use items we found in the factory. Print-wise many years ago had a job go through which was scratch and sniff … not that unusual you might say, but the 'sniff' was farmyard
Who would you like to be stuck on a desert island with?
Gino D’Acampo, for the cooking, Billy Connolly for the stories and Clare Grogan
What is your greatest ambition?
Nothing silly like winning the lottery, just to be happy and be a great dad
What’s your greatest fear?
The sensible answer is not being liked. But being up a ladder is a close second, me, ladders and heights are not the best of mates
Who or what makes you laugh?
Joe Wilkinson the comedian and more recently the cost of paper!
Most embarrassing moment?
Too many to list here. But getting names wrong in meetings is NFN (Normal For Neil). I also refer you to my worst fashion disaster.
Where would you like to be right now?
On a trip to Vietnam that was booked over two years ago!
What’s your worst fashion disaster?
In the 1970s, six-button high-waister trousers with pockets on the legs and shirts with massive wing collars… God I loved those trousers but looking back now... Silver socks at the Printweek Awards – do they count?
Who would be your favourite party guests?
Stephen Fry, Gandhi, Rory Stewart, Clare Grogan
What was your childhood obsession?
Easy-peasy this one. I had two obsessions, my bike and watching Luton Town FC
What advice would you give to your teenage self?
Trust your instincts
How would you like to be remembered?
He was a nice bloke
Life is…?
Too short
